Lists

Vertical Lists

Use vertical lists for lists that are long or contain items on several levels.

Use vertical lists for quick-reference items or for visual prominence.

Use numbers when items on a list follow a specific order.

Use bullets as visual markers for each item.

If the introductory statement is a complete grammatical sentence, end it with a colon. List items do not begin with capital letters and do not carry closing punctuation unless they are complete sentences.

Example: Include the following documents in your application:

completed application

personal essay

three letters of recommendation

If the introductory statement is not a complete sentence, use the punctuation mark that's appropriate for the context (comma, semicolon, dash, or nothing). List items do not start with capital letters and have no closing punctuation.

Example: The final report outlined the company’s

increased fundraising efforts

stabilized employee retention

increased recruitment efforts

Numbered Lists

Numbered items begin with a capital letter.

Do not use closing punctuation unless the item is a complete sentence.

Series

Separate items in a series with a comma. Do not use a comma before the conjunction.

Example: The students came from California, Colorado, Maryland and Nebraska.

If the series contains lengthy elements or elements that require separation with a comma, use semicolons to avoid confusion. Use a semicolon before the conjunction in a series.